Not taking Broderick to trial causes public to lose confidence

Feb. 10, 2013

As an ordinary citizen, I am deeply offended by Special Prosecutor Ken Buck’s recent dismissal of perjury charges against Lt. Jim Broderick of the Fort Collins police department.

I am neither an attorney nor do I have an affiliation with any political party, but like many other citizens, I have followed the unfortunate Tim Masters case over the years and Lt. Broderick’s role in it. Two grand juries (a total of 24 citizens) indicted Broderick for first-degree perjury in connection with the prosecution of that case. A series of court actions resulted in the elimination of two of the charges, but seven were upheld. Ken Buck says that he cannot establish a “pattern of behavior” with only seven of the nine charges remaining. How about letting a jury decide that?

The dismissal of these charges for Ken Buck’s stated reasons lends Broderick an unjustified appearance of innocence regarding them. Surely the social costs already incurred by this case in terms of lost public confidence in our justice system (and 10 years of false imprisonment for Masters) should have justified a trial on these charges.